


Words Would Never Be Enough

by greenandgold24



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28574676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenandgold24/pseuds/greenandgold24
Summary: Learning the truth about her mother's death and her heritage made Valerie's seemingly normal life anything but. As she navigates her youth, magic, the wizarding world, and relationships with her peers, she struggles to come to terms with her past and her present.This work is currently unfinished, but I am working to update it as soon as I can! I have nearly everything plotted out, it just needs to be written! I will try to update this regularly, but I restart university soon.Archive warnings may be added as I continue the story, but I will also make sure to add tws before each chapter if they are needed.This story is also on Wattpad under the same username (greenandgold24), but I will update more on AO3!
Relationships: George Weasley/Original Female Character(s)





	1. The Witching Hour

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I'm super excited to be sharing this story with you! I am not the best writer ever, but I hope that I can make this story very exciting. I've had this in my mind for quite a while, and I just really hope you can enjoy it as much as I do! Much love <3

**7 May 1989**

Silence echoed through the room as Valerie stared at her ceiling. For the entire night, she had failed to sleep in peace, tossing and turning until she returned to contemplating the patterning of the plaster above her.

Turning to the digital clock on her bedside table, she read the time - 02:32.

Why was she even awake at this hour? She was on a break from school, and any break (no matter how short) meant that she would catch up on the sleep she had missed throughout the term. Going to a performing arts school meant that she was constantly busy with academics, performances, and the other activities her year required. As a new member of the dance company’s middle school, she was constantly under mental, physical, and emotional stress, meaning that any sleep was priceless. 

So she asked herself again, why couldn't she go to sleep?

Was it because she was excited for her birthday? Was it because of the knowledge that her aunt and uncle would burst into her room in a few hours to bring her a cake and presents? Was she anxious for the car ride back to school, knowing that going back meant returning to being stressed and tired all the time?

She couldn’t figure it out. Despite the pressure she was under at school, she enjoyed dancing, had made lots of friends, and was doing well in each of her subjects. She liked school, unlike a decent amount of her peers. 

Considering the possibilities relating to her current state, she realized, was just making her more alert, so she decided to just close her eyes and hope for the best. Several minutes passed before her breathing slowed and she drifted into unconsciousness, finally getting the respite she desired.

_She awoke in bed with a start, as though suddenly electrified. Turning to her clock, she saw that it was three in the morning._

Great work, Val, _she muttered to herself in a sarcastic tone._ You managed to get five minutes of sleep in - what a fantastic accomplishment. 

_Accepting the notion that sleep was not going to be kind to her today, she jumped out of bed and walked downstairs to get herself a glass of water. As she walked back up, fully quenched, she stopped at the edge of her door frame and turned her head to the corridor on her right._

_Down the corridor, there were three rooms besides her own - her aunt and uncle’s room, the bathroom, and the spare bedroom. Two rooms lined each side of the corridor, and at the end of the corridor was a closet that held some of their storage. Valerie padded towards the storage closet. As she approached it, she noticed there was a strange light emitting from the cracks of the door and there was a thudding sound coming from inside. Warily, Valerie reached out a shaky hand to grab the door handle. The noise increased in volume as she silently pulled the door open._

_On the top shelf, there was a strange box that seemed to be the source of the light and the thudding noise. Ornate in design, it was a lightly colored wooden box with golden embellishments and painted designs. There was a lock on the front of the box, and she thought it best to avoid any extreme measures of opening it so as not to wake her guardians or damage anything that the box contained._

_Intrigued to discover the mystery of this restless, glowing box, she turned around to take it back to her room. While pondering the source of this new treasure, she paused to notice a tabby cat facing her and sitting in front of her doorway. It was a sleek grey color and had strange markings around its eyes._

“Where did you come from?” _Valerie whispered to the cat. The creature did not respond, instead blinking lazily at Valerie and turning to walk down the steps. Against her better instincts, she followed the cat down the stairs to the front door. The feline sat in front of the door expectantly, as if waiting for something - or someone - to arrive. Valerie furrowed her brow and bent down to the cat’s level._

“What are you waiting for?”

_Suddenly, a loud knock came at the door. Valerie froze, but the cat began to claw at the door and meow incessantly. _Who is knocking on the front door this early in the morning?_ Although hesitant to open yet another door from which suspicion arose, she was eager to get the cat to settle down. She turned the lock on the door, turned the knob, and swung the door open._


	2. An Unexpected Visitor

As if being drenched in ice cold water, Valerie immediately sat up in bed, breathing heavily and feeling a great chill run through her body. _It was only a dream._ A knock came at her bedroom door, but before Valerie could say anything, she heard her Uncle Christopher laugh, “Are you still asleep, dancing queen?” Valerie rolled her eyes at her uncle’s nickname and said, “No, but I did just wake up.”

Her aunt and uncle came through the door holding a small cake lit with eleven candles and a few presents in a pile. They started singing to her, she blew out the candles, and they gave her a massive hug.

“Happy Birthday, love!” cried her Aunt Annette. “I cannot believe you are already eleven years old! Seems like time has just flown right by.”

Her uncle laughed, adding, “Soon enough, you’ll be driving, drinking, and causing ruckus all over town!”

“As if I don’t already do the last,” you joked. “And hopefully you don’t do the first two together,” her aunt warned as she gave her uncle a cautionary glance. Her uncle didn’t seem to notice as he was beaming at Valerie.

Uncle Christopher and Aunt Annette were never able to have kids, but since Valerie’s mother died in a car accident, she became the honorary child of her mother’s sister and brother-in-law. They were very good to her, and she never wanted for anything. They truly loved her, and she loved them like they were her own mother and father.

She opened her presents - mostly new dance clothes and books - and then they all went down to cut the cake. Aunt Annette cut the cake while Uncle Christopher chatted with Valerie about the various ways they could spend her birthday before they had to head back to her school. Considering it was nearly a three hour drive, they couldn’t do much, but her aunt and uncle were keen on making her feel special on her birthday.

Deciding that her day would be best spent at Clifton Village - a beautiful little area of her hometown with shops and boutiques - Valerie walked out of the kitchen to get ready and finish packing for the journey back to school.

She was half-way up the stairs when she heard a knock on the door. The events of the dream started rushing back to her as her head whipped around to face the source of the noise. _Was it really a dream? Or was it something more?_ She decided that she was being ridiculous as she moved to open the door. But something in that dream unsettled her to her core. It left her feeling like she was missing something. She placed her hand on the door knob, unlocked the door, and pulled it open.

Standing in front of her was a tall, seemingly middle-aged woman with a sleek build and a stern expression. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she wore green robes, square glasses, and a black pointed hat. Val felt her jaw drop as she stared at this woman. She was unlike any person she had ever seen - graceful and upright like her ballet teachers at school, but with a unique aura that made her enchanting and mysterious.

The woman looked down at her, smiled slightly, and enunciated, “Good morning, dear. Is this, by chance, the household of a Miss Valerie King?” Unable to close her gaping mouth, she nodded slowly at the woman, not noticing her aunt and uncle approach the door as she was too transfixed.

“Hello!” Uncle Christopher chirped. “How may we help you?” The woman turned her attention towards Valerie’s aunt and uncle and asked, “Are you Mr. and Mrs. King?”

As her aunt and uncle affirmed her question, the woman continued, “Wonderful. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. May I come in and speak with you on behalf of Miss King?” The two looked at each other, exchanging a silent conversation, before moving out of the way and showing the woman to their living room.

As she walked, she moved with little sound, and her stride exuded elegance and strength. Her cloak flowed like water as she took a seat facing Valerie and her guardians, a concerned, yet excited look on her face. However, this is only what Valerie had guessed, as the woman’s face barely changed from the first time she saw her to the current moment.

Aunt Annette rushed out of her seat to put the kettle on for their guest as the woman cleared her throat and began, “I am sorry for coming unannounced on a Sunday, but - as it is Miss King’s eleventh birthday - I came as quickly as I could to ensure that she could get her invitation on time.”

“Invitation for what?” Uncle Christopher said. “Why, her invitation to Hogwarts, of course. I can assure you, sir, that Hogwarts is a very safe place for our students. I understand, considering the fate of your wife’s sister, why you might be hesitant to enroll Miss King, but she will be well taken care of.”

A stillness filled the room. Valerie, who was sitting next to her uncle, looked at him and asked, “What does she mean by ‘my mother’s fate?’” Before he could answer, Aunt Annette rushed in with a platter of tea for the four of them, Professor McGonagall taking a cup gratefully and adding two sugar cubes.

“Excuse me, professor, but I don’t understand what you are doing here. Valerie’s mother died in a car accident, and she already attends school for dance. What is this ‘Hogwarts’ anyways?” Her uncle looked wary of the stranger in his living room, and he did not know how his words would have an effect on her. She became quite rigid and still, a worried expression on her face. For a moment, Valerie thought that the professor resembled the cat she saw in her dream, but that was a stupid notion.

The professor turned to Aunt Annette and muttered, “Mrs. King, are you at all aware of your sister’s schooling and...abilities?” Aunt Annette looked puzzled. “I know that my sister went off to some gifted children’s school in Scotland for most of her life. I rarely saw her, and she never really talked about it, but she always seemed to enjoy it. Made lots of friends and always had some crazy stories to tell.”

McGonagall nodded at this information, taking in what Valerie’s aunt just said with a look of anguish on her face. “Usually with half-blood or pure-blood children, professors do not show up to our pupils’ houses to hand them their acceptance letters - that is reserved for those of Muggle-born families. The headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore, asked me to personally deliver instructions to Miss King. I now understand why.”

Professor McGonagall reached into her robes and pulled out a letter sealed with a red wax stamp. “Here,” she handed the letter to Valerie, “is your official invitation to the school.” The parchment was smooth and unmarked except for neat and delicate handwriting on the front with her name and address.

Her aunt and uncle stared at the envelope in wonder, looking at Professor McGonagall as she began again, “Miss King, you are a witch.”


	3. The Truth

Valerie stared at this woman in disbelief. A witch? Like the ones in The Wizard of Oz? Or like in Macbeth? She couldn’t truly believe this woman to be serious or of sound mind, but her hands opened the letter regardless, unfolding the paper inside, reading: 

**__** __

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry** _

__

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

__

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss King,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 3 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_  
_Deputy Headmistress_

Inside the envelope, there was another piece of paper that, like the letter had promised, enclosed a list of various books and equipment that she would need for her stay at Hogwarts. This all seemed like a joke, but she could help but start to believe Professor McGonagall. She certainly looked like a person you should not mess with, and she had no air of foolery about her. _Maybe I really am a witch._

Her aunt and uncle exchanged looks with each other after reading through Valerie’s letter, trying to process all of this information that had just been presented to them. McGonagall looked on edge, shifting in her seat slightly and fixing her robes. There was something else she had wanted to say. 

“Now, Mr. and Mrs. King, I must inform you of a matter that pertains to your niece’s abilities.”

By now, they had both finished reading the letter, and Aunt Annette looked like she was getting paler by the minute. She had assured the professor that she had no knowledge of wizardry in the family, yet it seemed that her mind was working to put pieces of a puzzle together in the situation regarding her sister. 

“It all makes sense, now,” Aunt Annette whispered. “My sister...she was a witch, wasn’t she?”

The professor nodded solemnly. “Indeed. One of the best and brightest witches that Hogwarts has seen. I’m sure Miss King would be the same way.” The professor glanced at her as she said this, still obviously wary of the situation at hand, but with a hint of a smile on her face. 

Uncle Christopher chimed in, “Hang on for a moment. Annette - what do you mean your sister was a witch? Surely you can’t be serious right now.” Annette looked at him with grief in her eyes, a sadness that she had not felt since Valerie was first brought to them on a cold, winter’s night. 

“Chris, darling. I always told you how Rosalie acted weirdly, and I sometimes heard her speak of things I never understood. She was always imaginative, and I just thought she was creating worlds of her own.”

Valerie’s aunt looked away from her husband to the coffee table, obviously bothered by her own memories. “When she died, I knew that no one was telling me the whole story. The last I had heard from her, she was running away with her boyfriend. A few years later, she’s on our doorstep at three in the morning asking us to watch Valerie while she’s on a work trip. No explanation, just a look of fear in her eyes. Like she was running from something.” 

The last part she muttered to herself, yet it was clearly heard by every person in the room. Valerie shuddered at this. Aunt Annette never talked much about her mother, as they hadn’t spent much time together in their lives and bringing up her younger sister just made Annette sad. 

“Mrs. King, I am sorry that you have to find out this way. I wish you had been told the truth, but it seemed like your sister and parents tried to keep this reality away from you.” Annette nodded. She looked up to the professor, trembling, and asked, “What happened to her?”

Professor McGonagall swallowed, took a deep breath, and began, “In the wizarding world, magic is of great use to each individual who knows how to properly use it. That is why, of course, we have a school for young individuals like Miss King - so that we can allow them to live their fullest lives with their abilities. However, there have been individuals that have used their power for evil rather than good. A dark wizard, He Who Shall Not Be Named, rose around the time that your sister was leaving school. While he was gathering followers to do his bidding, a group of like-minded individuals was forming to stop him. Rosalie was a part of this group..."

"I was not made aware of any relationships that she had like you had mentioned, but I do know that Rosalie was eventually...killed by these dark wizards. He Who Shall Not Be Named and his followers were hunting down the members of the opposition, and Rosalie was, unfortunately, one of the ones who perished."

"I can assure you that He Who Shall Not Be named is no longer around and his followers have dispersed themselves. But like in the muggle world, there is always danger that comes to learning and to life. My job is to convince you that letting Miss King go to school at Hogwarts will help her to understand this and become a fully realized witch. Without her magic properly handled, things can go badly, and I would think that you would not want that for your niece.” 

Annette, who had started to cry at the middle of McGonagall’s explanation, nodded fiercely. Valerie stared at the professor blankly. There was absolutely no way she was making any of this up. She had no words left to say on the matter, but she had so many questions racing in her mind. 

“Excuse me, professor,” she chimed in. McGonagall turned to her with an attentive look, “Yes, dear?” 

“May I ask, what is a muggle?” The woman looked surprised, yet amused at this turn of attitude. 

“A muggle is a non-magical person like your aunt and uncle.” 

“And why exactly,” Valerie continued, “can we not say the dark wizard’s name?”

Looking back at her aunt and uncle, Aunt Annette was still sobbing, and Uncle Christopher had his arms around his grieving wife, looking at McGonagall with confusion, but with less suspicions. Turning back around she saw that the professor was standing up, brushing off her robes and looking at the clock on their wall. 

“Goodness,” she muttered, “I apologize for taking up so much of your time, but I must be back at Hogwarts soon.”

She pulled out another piece of parchment and handed it to Uncle Christopher. “If you decide to enroll Miss King in Hogwarts, here are the instructions for getting her school materials and getting her on the train. If you have any more questions, have Miss King send me an owl. I believe she will know how to get them.” Her aunt and uncle composed themselves and went to shake the professor’s hand before walking her to the front door. 

“We will discuss the matter with Valerie, professor, but I would hope that she can see you in Hogwarts in the fall.” Aunt Annette said this with a small smile, knowing in the back of her mind that despite the dangers this may bring, this was Valerie’s fate. 

The professor nodded and smiled slightly, turning to shake Valerie’s hand. “Thank you, Miss King. Enjoy the rest of your term, and I will see you at Hogwarts in September.” Valerie smiled, “See you then, professor.” McGonagall turned around, walked out of the door, and had disappeared in seconds. So much for spending her birthday in Clifton Village.


	4. Putting the Pieces Together

The ride back to school was long and silent. Being from Bristol, the drive to school in Hertfordshire was always exhausting, but her aunt and uncle had never failed to make it interesting. This time, however, it seemed that everyone was shaken by the news.

Valerie sat in the backseat behind her father in the driver’s seat, staring at the window and contemplating all that she had just been told. _Mum was a witch? And I’m one too? How am I expected to process the fact that she was murdered by a bunch of evil wizards and then wake up tomorrow to resume my life like everything is normal?_

It all seemed so crazy to Valerie, yet somehow...it felt right. She’d noticed that little things would happen around her that she couldn’t quite explain.

There was one time when she was eight that she was given a costume for a recital that was absolutely hideous. She cried and cried to her aunt about it, but there was nothing she could have done to get rid of it. During her dress rehearsal, she stared at it in the mirror of her dance studio. _Why won’t you just go away? Everyone else gets amazing costumes, but you just had to be ugly. I wish you would just rip or something._ Her thoughts became a reality as the seams of the costume seemed to completely fall apart in the middle of the dance. Her dance instructor was dumbfounded, and no one could explain how Valerie’s costume had fallen apart like that. She was given a new (and better costume), much to Valerie’s delight, but she had always wondered what had happened.

Little events like this began to make sense as the Kings approached her school. She had fallen asleep somewhere along the way and woke up to the car in the school’s parking lot. Upon arriving, Uncle Christopher parked the car and her guardians turned to look at her. They both wore worried and pained expressions.

“Sweetie,” began Uncle Christopher, “I’m sure this is a lot for you to take in.” Valerie nodded, agreeing with her uncle. _Yeah, no duh._ “Your aunt and I just want you to know that we fully support you going to Hogwarts in the fall, but we want it to be your decision. It will be a big change, but this is an opportunity that we didn’t even know you were going to have until this afternoon.”

Valerie was ecstatic, and her face broke out into a giant grin as she started to climb out of the car. “Thank you so much! Oh my god, my friends at school won't even believe-”

“Valerie,” Aunt Annette started, “you can’t tell anyone about Hogwarts or magic or...any of what we just learned.”

Valerie was utterly astounded. How could she not tell everyone that came within a five mile radius that she was a witch and was going to learn to do _real_ magic?

“I understand that this is very exciting for you, but there must have been a good reason that my parents and my sister were so secretive about magic. Professor McGonagall also made sure to let us know in her other note that we were to keep this information private.” Valerie’s aunt and uncle stumbled out of the car and appeared in front of her. 

“We will make sure to talk about this more when you come home again, but you can’t tell anyone for now - do you understand?” Valerie was upset by this, but nodded. Her aunt had a point. If her mother and grandparents never told Annette what was going on, there must have been a reason. Non-magic people were not supposed to know. 

“Okay. We will figure out the whole...owl...thing after the term has ended, but please just focus on your studies for now.” Uncle Christopher nodded to affirm his wife’s words and went to hug Valerie.

“I’ll miss you, pal. Stop growing up so fast.” Valerie smiled into their embrace and went to hug her aunt. 

“Aunt Annette…” Valerie whispered. “Yes, love?” “I’m sorry about mum.” Annette stiffened a bit at the mention of her younger sister, but then hugged Valerie more tightly. “No need to worry about me, darling.” She pulled away from the hug and both had tears forming in their eyes. Uncle Christopher grabbed her baggage out of the car and carried it for Valerie as the trio walked up to the school. 

Once they came to her room and said their final goodbyes, Valerie flopped on her bed and laid on the bed for a while, staring at the ceiling. A smile formed on her lips as she thought more and more about Hogwarts. Never before did she think her life would be as exciting as this, and she knew much was in store for her.


	5. The Weight of Knowing

**9 July 1989**

The rest of the term had gone like any other - Valerie excelled in her classes, danced in her school’s production, and made memories with her friends. As she sat with them, she couldn’t help but get sad knowing that she would be leaving them the next year. She loved dance so much - and she was good at it, too. 

Coming to this school meant that she would hopefully be a professional dancer when she grew up, but everything changed when Professor McGonagall arrived on her front doorstep. Why couldn’t she just stay here and dance for the rest of her life? 

Pondering further on McGonagall’s words made her more and more convinced that nothing she said was real. It couldn’t have been. She wasn’t cut out for a life like this. She was just a normal girl who wanted to dance, hang out with her friends, and live a normal life.

Deep down, however, she knew that McGonagall was right, and there was nothing she could do to shy away from her fate. This knowledge came upon Valerie like a ton of bricks, and she felt guilty for being at her school, knowing that she would have to lie to her friends about leaving. 

Not only did she feel guilty about lying to her friends, but she constantly thought about her parents.

_How could someone kill my mother so brutally? And where is my father in this whole situation? Is he dead like her, or is there a possibility that he’s alive? If so, why haven’t I heard from him yet?_ While she had never thought much about her parents, considering her aunt and uncle were so good to her, she couldn’t help but wonder what their lives were like, especially how they led to the current day.

Valerie’s roommate, Arabella, noticed a change in her usual demeanor. While Valerie was always a generally bright and cheerful person, she had gotten more reserved in the past months. The night before the end of the term, she finally worked up the courage to ask what all of this was about.

The girls lie in their beds across the room from each other, relating stories and talking about their plans for the summer holiday. Valerie’s plans were quite limited to Bristol, but she talked about going to see her grandparents in London and wandering around her town.

At the notion that she would have to leave Bristol for Scotland, Valerie sighed and became sad. Sure, she had been going away to school since she was young, but Hogwarts was so much farther away and would be a completely new environment. She was worried she would never make friends.

Arabella began to talk about seeing a ballet in France during the summer when she noticed her friend’s silence. “Valerie - are you okay?”

The girls had been fast friends with her roommate since day one. While they were randomly selected to be with each other, they had ended up rooming every year since. They knew everything about each other, and they shared every moment of their lives with the other. Each considered their other as their sister.

Little did Arabella know how her question would affect her friend. Valerie busted out into tears, sobbing as she shook her head. Arabella ran over to the other girl, sat beside her on her bed, and hugged her. 

“What’s wrong? This isn't you! I can tell that something’s been bothering you.” Valerie sniffed and looked up at her friend, “I’m not coming back to school next term.” Arabella was taken aback by the news. Both had shared their hopes of dancing at the same company when they were older and staying friends for life. This couldn’t happen. Valerie couldn’t leave her.

Valerie continued, “I’m going to a boarding school in Scotland. It’s one that my mom went to when she was young. My aunt and uncle want me to go as well, and I know that I really should. But I’ve felt bad about not telling you all and not getting to properly say goodbye.”

Arabella didn’t really know why Valerie would want to go besides the connection it had to her mother, but she felt bad for her friend regardless. Surely, she would feel bad about telling them all she was leaving, and she knew Valerie’s close friends would take it hard. 

They sat for a while in an embrace before Arabella spoke, “I’ll help you say goodbye. If you really want to go to this school, I’ll support you and I’ll be there for you when you have to say goodbye. It won’t be easy, I’m sure. I don’t want you to leave.”

Valerie smiled slightly, “I don’t want to leave, either. But I have to. It’ll help me feel closer to my mom.” Arabella nodded, “You will, of course, be sending me letters of all that goes on at your new school, right?” The two chuckled. “Of course. And you have to tell me all about the new productions and everything that goes on here.” They agreed. 

After a final squeeze, Arabella released Valerie from the hug and went to go get her a tissue. Valerie accepted it gladly and the two dozed off into a restful sleep after another hour or so of meaningless chatter. She was glad she told her closest friend (and glad that she didn’t reveal her secret). She only hoped the next day would be easier than she imagined it to be.


	6. Diagon Alley

**20 August 1989**

Valerie had been waiting for this moment for over a month. Countless conversations with her aunt and uncle, as well as sending several owls to Professor McGonagall, had allowed Valerie to feel more comfortable with going off to school at Hogwarts (Valerie indeed _did_ somehow know the way to summon an owl, but figuring out this wizarding postage process gave her some odd looks from her neighbors). 

Today was the day that she and her guardians would go to Diagon Alley - the shopping area where she could get all of her school supplies for the coming term. Valerie had been _dying_ to see these magical stores, and she was getting more and more excited about her new school as the days went on. 

Unlike most nights, Valerie could not sleep a wink. Her family would have to drive to London in the morning to be able to get to Diagon Alley, and she couldn’t imagine being able to sit still during the two and half hour drive. Luckily, she didn’t have to imagine much since a night of no sleep meant she passed out as soon as they left Bristol.

When the Kings arrived, they awoke Valerie and started making their way to something called “The Leaky Cauldron,” or whatever McGonagall had told them about. They had missed the building about five different times since the building was so well hidden; about half an hour had gone by before they were able to spot it. 

When she pictured it in her head, Valerie expected a grand, lavish, and enchanting interior filled to the brim with witches and wizards in bright and colorful garb, wearing hats and brandishing wands. Walking into the building, however, caused her much disappointment. It was a dark, dingy, and claustrophobic room with a sparse group of people spattered around the area. Aunt Annette was the first to notice Professor McGonagall across the room, pacing towards her quickly and apologizing profusely. 

“I am so sorry, professor. This building is very well hidden.” The woman nodded knowingly. “No worries at all, Mrs. King. I can assure you that you are not the first to encounter that problem.” 

She turned to Valerie, who was walking hand-in-hand with her uncle towards them, “Miss King, do you have your school list with you?” 

Valerie nodded rapidly as she took the crumbled piece of paper out of her trousers and unfolded it to show the professor. McGonagall smiled, “Wonderful. We should get going.” 

Valerie, Aunt Annette, and Uncle Christopher followed Professor McGonagall out of the pub’s back door to an enclosed area with a brick wall. The witch reached into her robes to retrieve a wooden stick (her wand, Valerie presumed) and then tapped it on the bricks in a certain pattern. To the Kings’ surprise, the bricks started to shake and rattle, shifting away to reveal a long stretch of road with a variety of colorful shops and signs. 

Valerie gasped at the sight, eliciting a small chuckle from Professor McGonagall. She ushered the family through the passageway to the cobblestone road, mouths agape and heads turning left and right so they wouldn’t miss even the tiniest details. Heading further down Diagon Alley, Valerie saw a plethora of stores - Flourish and Blotts, Ollivanders, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and countless more. 

“Now Miss King,” Professor McGonagall said. Valerie turned to her, “Yes, professor?” 

“I am going to show your aunt and uncle how to exchange their money for wizard money, but I will drop you off at Madam Malkin’s to get your robes for school. I’ll also give you some money for a wand at Ollivanders, but then we will meet you there - does that sound alright?” Valerie nodded and McGonagall led the way to the shop. 

As they stepped in the door, McGonagall walked ahead of her to speak to a short woman dressed in mauve who was flitting around another girl standing on a footstool. She stopped moving around to engage in conversation with the professor, and the two seemed to reach some agreement with the exchange of some coins. 

Madam Malkin turned to Valerie as McGonagall started to walk away and smiled, “Hello, dear! Be right with you. I’m just finishing up with this young lady. Why don’t you hop up on that for me?” She pointed to a footstool next to the other girl and began to continue her fitting. 

McGonagall stood at the door, faced the girl, and inquired, “Will you be alright, dear?” 

Valerie nodded in acknowledgement and McGonagall flashed her a smile as she walked out of the store. Valerie stepped up on the stool and looked at her image in the mirror in front of her. 

She had a small frame, and her clothes looked too big for her at this moment. Her ashy blonde hair was a bit untidy in her ponytail and her grey eyes looked tired, both evidence of her much-needed sleep in the car. While she never much cared for the way she looked, she always felt proud when her aunt noted how much she looked like her mother. 

“Hey,” said the girl next to her, “are you going to Hogwarts?” This girl had beautiful dark skin and eyes, her curly hair pulled back in a similar fashion as Valerie’s. 

“It’s my first year,” Valerie confirmed. She smiled and reached out her hand, “Me too. My name is Angelina Johnson.” 

Valerie gratefully took the girl’s hand and shook it, “Valerie King. Are you excited? I just can’t wait to get to school.” 

“Me neither. My parents both went there and told me so many amazing stories. What about you? Have your parents told you much?” 

Valerie smiled sadly, “I actually live with my aunt and uncle. They’re both...muggles...or whatever you call them.” Angelina seemed to regret her question, “My bad, I haven’t met many muggles before.” 

Keen to make a friend, Valerie assured the girl, “That’s okay! My mum was a witch, though. She’s passed away, but I hope that I can feel closer to her when I get there.”

Angelina seemed to understand, and she brightened up a bit at this comment. “Do you know what house she was in?”

“What are the houses?” Valerie asked, confused. She had heard Professor McGonagall mention something about houses, but she had never elaborated on the topic. 

“Hogwarts has four houses that they split everyone up into. There’s Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. My mum was in Gryffindor and my dad was in Ravenclaw. I’m up for any of the houses, as long as it’s not Slytherin.”

Valerie frowned at the girl, “Why not Slytherin?”

“Well,” Angelina continued, “that’s a long story, but a lot of dark wizards come from that house. Mum says that the people there are evil, but dad always says that’s not true. He had a few friends in Slytherin, and he tells me that just because someone is from there doesn’t mean they’ll turn bad. Guess we’ll just have to find out!”

Valerie felt suddenly nervous, worrying that she might be put there. “What happens if I end up in Slytherin?”

Angelina pondered her question for a moment as Madam Malkin handed her a bag with her robes. As she stepped off the stool, she cheered, “Well, we’ll just have to make sure that we see each other often!” 

Both girls smiled. “I’ve better get going - my parents are getting my books at Flourish and Blotts. But would you want to sit together on the train?”

Valerie nodded excitedly at Angelina, “I’d love to!”

They said their goodbyes as Angelina walked out of the store and Madam Malkin began fussing over Valerie. _I made a friend!_

Walking out of Madam Malkins made Valerie feel even more confident about going to school. She was nearly running towards Ollivanders when she accidentally ran into someone else, tumbling to the ground and nearly dropping her robes. 

“I’m so sorry!” she shouted as she looked up at who she ran into. He had bright red, fiery hair, amber eyes, and a bit of a crooked nose. Freckles covered his face, and he looked at her with a crooked grin.

“No worries. Might want to look where you’re going next time, though.” He extended a hand to her and helped her off of the ground. “My name’s George - George Weasley.”

“I’m Valerie King. Thank you so much, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you like that.”

He smiled at her once again, “Don’t worry about it. Bit of my fault too, I wasn’t really paying attention to the road in front of me.” 

Suddenly, a voice behind Valerie shouted, “George! Where are you, dear?”

He sighed. “That’ll be my mum. I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you on the Hogwarts Express, yeah?” Valerie nodded and the boy ran off towards a woman with the same ginger hair. 

Brushing off her clothes, she walked more cautiously to the front of Ollivanders store. She walked in, immediately overwhelmed by the amount of items in the building. Boxes were placed from floor to ceiling everywhere there was space. Many were stacked haphazardly around the room, not giving Valerie much ability to roam around. 

A man popped in from around the corner behind the front desk. He was one of the strangest looking men Valerie had ever seen. His pale skin matched his eyes and hair, and he wore dark robes with various patterns embroidered in the fabric. 

“Hello, young miss! Looking for a wand, I presume?” Valerie nodded. “Wonderful! You’ve come to the right place. What’s your name?”

“Valerie King, sir.” He looked a bit puzzled, staring through her like she was made of glass.

“But you’re not a muggle-born, are you Miss King?”

Valerie was taken aback. How did he know that? How could he have _possibly_ known that?

“No, sir. My mother’s name was Rosalie Martin.”

His eyes widened and he smiled, “Ah, yes! Miss Martin! What a wonderful witch! She was very bright. I sold her very first wand to her - ten and a half inches, unyielding, cedar, and with a dragon heartstring.”

Taken aback, Ollivander seemed to notice her amazement as he began to shuffle through the shelves and chuckled, “I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, Miss King.”

He started to remove boxes from the shelves, muttering nonsense to himself. Occasionally, he would begin to hand a wand to Valerie before snatching it back in disapproval. After a few minutes of this, he had a stack of four wands that he placed on his counter. 

“Now,” he said to her, “we have a few contenders. We’ll try and see if they work. When you take them, wave them around like this,” demonstrating a small gesture with his hand.

Valerie stared at the pile in front of her. “Go on,” Ollivander encouraged. 

She reached out and took one off the counter. Holding it in her hand, Ollivander suddenly snatched it out. “No, no, no. My apologies. I believe that one is not for you. Try...this one.” Disregarding the wands on the counter, he looked to a shelf on his left and slipped out a wand from one of the boxes. Handing it to Valerie, it started to glow as soon as she had touched it.

The man shouted in triumph. “Wonderful job, Miss King! Twelve and a half inches, supple, willow, and a phoenix feather core. That wand, much like you, is destined for great things.”

She thanked the odd man, handed him the money given to her by McGonagall, and made her way out of the store. Finding her guardians, she relayed the information to them with pride. Professor McGonagall looked pleased at her purchase, and they made their way through Diagon Alley to finish the rest of their shopping. 

On the car ride home, she slept and dreamed of Hogwarts. If everyday was like today, she didn’t want to miss out on the life she had been given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this chapter. I wasn't meaning to introduce some of the characters so early, but I hope it fit well. I'm not going to go over much of the first and second years of Valerie's time at Hogwarts, but I will devote a few chapters to her time on the Hogwarts Express, her sorting, and getting used to life at Hogwarts! If you're reading this, I'm thankful for you and hopeful that you'll stick around!


	7. Letters From Mum

**26 August 1989**

The stillness of the air on a hot Saturday afternoon in Bristol never failed to amuse Valerie. While she preferred the cold to the hot by a vast majority, the temperature’s effect on her family and neighbors astounded her, and oftentimes provoked her to mingle with the other children on her block that she would otherwise ignore. 

Today was one of those days; sat at her desk near the window in her bedroom, Valerie found herself daydreaming about Hogwarts for what seemed like the 30th time in the past hour. Looking through her books and materials only brought so much joy, and it felt too excruciatingly balmy to do much else. School was so close, yet so far away, and she wished more than anything to speed up to September. 

Screams could be heard from the outside of her window. Since the noise had interrupted Valerie’s thoughts on patenting a time machine, her annoyance was palpable. Angrily, she shoved open her window to see what the ruckus was all about. Outside, there were kids her age playing with a lawn water slide in the garden of a neighboring house. Loneliness replaced her anger, and she quietly shut the window.

Ever since the girl had returned from her school, her aunt and uncle had become extremely paranoid about other non-magic folk. Worried that she would share her secrets or that the neighbors would become suspicious, Valerie was rarely allowed outside of the house (the only exceptions being Diagon Alley and the supermarket). 

Hopping out of her desk chair, she made her way down to the sitting room to try and convince Aunt Annette and Uncle Christopher to let her outside. It was worth a shot, despite knowing that her guardians would deny her request almost immediately. 

“Aunt Annette, some of our neighbors are hanging out next door - can I _please_ go and play with them?” Valerie’s aunt was sitting next to her uncle on the sofa, each of them reading a book and sipping glasses of water. 

Annette frowned, “Valerie, you know we can’t risk giving away your secret to our neighbors.” The girl sighed at her aunt, “I understand! You’ve told me roughly three hundred times. But I promise that I’m not going to give anything away!” Annette just shook her head and went back to reading her novel.

Apparently pleading wasn’t doing much good. Without looking up from the page he was reading, Uncle Christopher responded blandly, “Do what your aunt tells you, Val. We’re just worried about you, and you’ll be around kids your age at Hogwarts soon enough.”

“But Uncle Christopher,” Valerie cried, “there is absolutely nothing to do here! It’s too hot to do anything, you’re both busy, and you won’t let me go outside!” 

He looked at her, “What day is it today?”

Valerie was taken aback. Thinking for a moment, she said, “The 26th of August.”

“Have you packed for school yet?”

She paused. “Not yet, no.”

“You’ve got to pack stuff for four months - why don’t you get started on that? You’ll be happy that it’s done and you can relax sooner. I can come help you after supper.”

He was right. It would probably be better to get things done now so she wouldn’t be rushing at the last moment. But it doesn’t mean she wanted to do it. 

“Okay. Where do we have our luggage?”

Christopher smiled. “They’re in the storage closet. Let me know if you need anything before supper.” Satisfied, he turned back to his book and continued where he had left off. 

Turning away from the sitting room, Valerie was reminded of the dream she had on her birthday. That dream still made her feel uneasy. McGonagall’s striking resemblance to the tabby in her dream, as well as the professor’s surprise arrival, did nothing to better her state. _Would the box be in the storage closet if I looked?_

With each step towards the second floor, she became more and more unsure of herself. She was getting worked up over nothing, surely. The box was probably a metaphor for something that she wasn’t even aware of. Nearing the closet, Valerie tried to make herself ready for the possible reality of the box’s presence, but she wasn’t sure how ready she could be. 

She placed her hand on the door knob, took a deep breath, swung the door open, and looked up. 

No...it can’t be. How have I never noticed it before?

Sitting on the top shelf was the same box she had dreamt about. Ignoring the luggage at her feet, she reached up to the top shelf and grabbed the pale chest. Holding it in her hands, she could make out the painted design on the lid to be of a woman holding a child in her arms. The woman had long, blonde hair, and she sat in the middle of a sea of stars and planets. 

The box was locked. But where would the key be? Calling down the stairs, Valerie shouted to her guardians, “What is this box for?”

There was silence before Aunt Annette responded. “What box?”

“I don’t know,” Valerie called out as she turned the item around in her hands. “It’s got a picture of a woman on it, and she’s in space.”

Silence again. This time, there was a longer pause before Valerie heard anything from the first floor. Before she could comprehend the sequence of soft thuds she heard, her aunt was climbing up the stairs. 

Valerie held out the box to show her aunt, but Annette kept walking past her into her bedroom. She started fumbling around in the top drawer of her dresser before she retrieved...a key! _The_ key!

Holding up the item to Valerie, the girl could see that her aunt’s eyes were grief-stricken and brimming with tears. _Uh oh,_ Valerie thought. _Maybe I should just put this back._

“On the night that your mom left you with us, she gave me this box.” Valerie had never seen her aunt look this miserable. It was clear that, despite the secrets that lay between them, Annette and Rosalie had been close. As much as it was true that Valerie had lost her mom, Annette had lost a sister and a friend. 

Sniffing and wiping her eyes, the girl’s aunt continued, “I had asked her what it was for and what was in it, but all she would tell me was ‘You’ll know the right time to give it to her.’ To be honest, I had forgotten about it until now, but I think we both can guess that now is the right time.’”

Annette gave the key to her niece and began to walk away, eliciting a cry from her niece. “Hey! Don’t you want to see what’s in it?” 

She turned around and smiled sadly, “Probably better if I don’t. I’m already getting too emotional at the thought of it. You’ll let me know what’s in it, yeah?”

Valerie nodded, and Aunt Annette descended the stairs. Completely forgetting about the luggage, the girl quickly paced to her room and closed the door with care. Placing the box on her bed, she flopped down next to it and inserted the key. 

She fumbled with the key for a few seconds before feeling the lock release. Taking a deep breath in, she threw open the lid of the chest to reveal a stack of papers. 

To be honest, Valerie was a little disappointed. She had hoped that maybe her mom had left her a stash of galleons or some kind of special magical item that would give her powers. But no. 

Some of that upset was replaced by intrigue when she realized many of these papers were, in fact, letters addressed to her. Taking off the first couple of letters, she saw that some had numbers on them, others had places, and others had nothing but her name on the front. 

Valerie continued to rifle through the contents of the box, finding that she wasn’t just gifted a bunch of parchment. Inside, there were a few pictures, a dried rose, a locket, a ring, and another key. 

The pictures were mostly of Rosalie and her family, seeing that she could identify the younger version of her Aunt Annette in a majority of them. In many of these pictures, she saw a man and woman who she could only assume to be her grandparents. They had died while Valerie was still fairly young, and she could not remember much about them. Rosalie and Annette both had their father’s smile and their mother’s nose. 

Only two pictures didn’t picture anyone she could identify as family - one was of a large group of people posing, and the other was of a cottage house covered in ivy. Unlike the ones of family, these pictures were not still - they were moving! While the group was posing, she could see some adjusting their hair or muttering a comment to their neighbor. The cottage had greenery that was moving with the wind, and small animals creeped around in search of food and shelter. 

Moving on from the pictures, Valerie’s attention focused on the locket. Its silvery coloring shimmered in the light, and the locket itself was shaped like an oval. A tiny latch on the side of the locket meant Valerie used all of her strength to pry it open, revealing a picture of her mum and a young man. 

_Is this...my dad?_

By the size of the picture, it was hard to distinguish his features. She could only really see that he had dark hair, fair skin, and a crooked smile. He was holding hands with the girl’s mum and staring at her like nothing else mattered in the world. 

Valerie closed the locket and looked at the back, revealing the words “To my light and my life” etched into the silver. Whoever this man was - Valerie’s father or not - he cared a lot about Rosalie, and she seemed to return the affection. 

Before returning to the pile of letters, the girl examined the remaining items. There was nothing much to the rose other than the deep red shade and fragile petals. She tried on the ring - a simple silver band with a pink gemstone attached - but it was too large for her small hands. Lastly, she inspected the key. Gold in color, the small object had a bow decorated with a swirling design and had a simple toothed end. 

With nothing else to survey, Valerie picked up the first letter off of the stack. It had the number eleven neatly written on the front with a small heart next to it. _Maybe mum meant for me to open the numbered ones at different ages,_ she thought. Upon further inspection, she realized she must be right, as eleven was the lowest number out of all the letters and there seemed to be no other correlation. 

Carefully ripping open the flap of the envelope, she pulled out and unfolded a piece of parchment. It read:

_To my dearest Valerie,_

_I hope you were able to understand the meaning behind the numbers. If you are currently eleven years old while reading this - congratulations! If not, no worries. I didn’t leave you with many directions, so I can forgive the confusion._

_Eleven, as I hope you know, is a special age to be. You’re beginning your life of double digits, getting close to your teenage years, and - most importantly - starting your journey at Hogwarts! While magical parents don’t always have magical children, I knew you were special from the start. My time at Hogwarts was some of the best years of my life, and I know you’ll be in good hands._

_I’m sure you’re beyond excited to board the Hogwarts Express and start school - I know I was! I was so nervous about what house I’d be in and what friends I’d make that I could barely sit still for the entire train ride (don’t take notes from me). The Sorting Ceremony, if you aren’t already aware, consists of a magical talking hat sitting on your head and judging your thoughts. Nerve-wracking as it seems, it all ends well. I was in Ravenclaw, but a lot of people said I should have been a Slytherin. No matter what house you get, though, know that I am proud of you and I’m cheering you on from the stars._

But mum, _you may be wondering,_ how do you know that you won’t be here to see me off to Hogwarts? _Well, my darling, that is a long story. All I can say is that I have been exposed to a lot of knowledge through my profession, and sometimes knowledge is dangerous. My job is to fight the bad guys, but sometimes you lose a few battles. I know that my battle is coming soon, and that the bad guys will win. I can’t exactly explain how or why I know, but I do. Writing these letters is my attempt at saving a piece of myself, even if I can’t be there to smile, laugh, cry, shout, and joke with you. I hope you can understand. I do this so the good guys can win. I do this because I love you._

_There are so many questions I want to ask you, but I know that answering them might not do you much good. You’ve got a lot of other letters here for you to read, and I tried to fit some with different events and moments of your life. The ones with the numbers will correspond with your age, the places with the big and exciting milestones of your life, and those with your name will be there to remind you how much I love you. If you can, refrain from opening them all at once. I promise it’ll be more exciting to already have a gift waiting for you on your birthday than reading a bunch of letters in one sitting._

_I love you more than life itself. Good luck with the magic hat._

_Yours always,_

_Mum_

_P.S. The key is for you! It’s for my vault in Gringotts. Use it wisely!_

Valerie stared at her mother’s neat scribbling for an eternity. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, and her heart beat faster and faster as she sat. She knew she was going to die. Never before had she felt so empty from her parents’ absence. She had acknowledged it countless times before in her mind, but there was never anything tangible to remind her that they were gone. Her heart broke at her mother’s excitement over Valerie’s life and sorrow at knowing she could not experience it with her. _I wish it didn’t have to be like this._

That was enough for today. Placing the folded parchment back in its envelope, she neatly stacked the letters and returned them to the box along with the pictures and the rose. She placed the key in the drawer of her bedside table for safe-keeping, and then strung the ring on the chain of the locket. It took her a while to get the clasp to fasten correctly, but she soon wore the locket and ring with pride. Now, she had a piece of her mother to take with her. 

In those moments of complete and utter excitement and overwhelming emotion, Valerie forgot about her luggage entirely. Oh well.


	8. The Beginning of It All

**3 September 1989**

In order to get a head start on the day, Annette and Christopher arose from their slumber at five o’clock in the morning. While each grabbing a cup of coffee, they began to bustle around the house to help prepare themselves for the trip to King’s Cross. 

Today was the day that their niece would leave for Hogwarts, and - while they were used to spending long months without seeing her - they felt particularly fraught at the idea of sending her on the train. Professor McGonagall had explained every last detail about reaching the platform station, yet they couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Not only that, but she would be away in a very new environment and would have so much to adjust to and learn about. They could tell their niece was very excited, but they still had many reservations about the wizarding world. 

After taking Valerie’s bags down the stairs and to the car, making sure they had her train information in order, and going through their mental checklist of items, the two settled on the couch in the sitting room. 

Silently sipping their coffees, Annette looked to Christopher with worry. She set down her beverage, cleared her throat, and muttered, “Do you think we made the right decision, Chris?”

Turning to her, Christopher took another sip of his drink and placed it in his lap. “I think only time can tell, Anne, but she seems like she’ll be happy.”

Annette sighed. “I suppose you’re right. But what if something goes wrong? What if Valerie gets hurt? Or what if she comes back and she hates it?”

“If Professor McGonagall is there,” Christopher said, “then I’m sure she will be fine. That woman has already done so much for us, and I don’t think she would stop once school began.” 

Smiling to his wife, he grabbed her hand and looked at her softly, “Besides, if she hates it, she always can go back to school in Hertfordshire.”  
Annette squeezed her husband’s hand and returned his look of endearment. He was right, afterall. Perhaps she was just so worried that Valerie might have to suffer the same fate as her mother. But this was her destiny, and so she will find her place. 

Valerie barely slept the entire night. For being such a lover of sleep, she certainly had not been sleeping much over the past few months. Everything just seemed so unreal. How could sleep beat the wonders of magic that she had yet to discover?

She wore the locket with her mother’s ring on it at all times, and she often found herself fidgeting with it when she was thinking or stressed out. _I hope I’ll do you proud today, mum,_ she thought to herself. 

Seeing that it was nearly seven in the morning, Valerie made her way out of her covers and stretched her arms and legs. Having showered the evening before, she went to put on the clothing that had been laid out the night before - a simple jumper with jeans and her trainers. Looking in the mirror, she brushed through her hair and made sure she looked presentable enough. “Enough” is the key word. 

“Valerie! Come down and eat breakfast! We’re going to be late if we don’t leave soon!”

“Coming!” Valerie screamed. Quickly, she rushed to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and ran down the stairs to the main floor. Aunt Annette had made eggs and bacon, and Valerie managed to gobble down her portion in record speed. Since her aunt and uncle had already loaded her bags into the car, the family did one last check of the house for Valerie’s items before hopping in the car and starting the drive to London. 

King’s Cross was a large building that had a massive flow of traffic in and out of the building at all times. As Valerie and her guardians approached the station, Val suddenly felt uneasy. While she had been dying to reach the train station for the entire car ride there, all her anticipation had curdled into nervous butterflies in the pit of her stomach. 

While Uncle Christopher went to get Valerie a trolley for her luggage, Aunt Annette walked towards the platforms in search of Platform 9 ¾, leaving the girl by herself with her things in the middle of the station. People rushed around her, some giving her odd looks or looking at her with pity, but others just carried about with their business. The rushing of people around her made her feel even more apprehensive, and anxiety coursed through her veins as she stood frozen in the station. 

Luckily, her uncle came back with the trolley before things could get much worse, but he noticed her uneasiness at the train station’s chaos. 

“You okay, love?” he asked her gently. 

Valerie nodded her head slowly. Noticing that she, in fact, was not okay, he crouched down beside her and looked her in the eyes. 

“It’s okay to be nervous, Val. There’s so much going on and so much that you’re taking in. Starting fresh isn’t easy, but you’ll be okay, I promise. Do you believe me?”

While she had been near tears moments before, Valerie turned to her uncle and smiled. “I believe you.”

He returned the look. “Good. Now let’s get everything loaded and find your aunt.”

Uncle Christopher quickly took all of Valerie’s luggage and plopped it on the trolley, allowing them to maneuver easily through the crowd of people. They didn’t have to wander far before Annette met the two, directing them through the sea of businessmen and tourists to a brick banister labeled with the number nine. 

Annette breathed out a sigh of exhaustion. “It was hard enough to find this bloody spot. I was going to ask one of the workers wandering about, but I saw one become particularly cross when some tourists questioned him and thought it better not to do so. Luckily, I saw a family run through this bannister and guessed it was the right place.”

 _Wait,_ Valerie thought, _what did she see them do?_

She didn’t have to wait long for an answer before someone tapped her on the shoulder. Valerie swung around to find Angelina and her parents behind her. 

“Hi, Valerie! Long time no see!”

“Angelina!” Val had been waiting to see her again, and she had become worried that she’d never find the girl in this sea of people.

“Mum, dad,” Angelina said, “this is Valerie. She’s the girl I met at Madam Malkins!”

Mr. Johnson held his hand out to Uncle Christopher, “Nice to meet you and your daughter. I’m Aaron, and this is my wife Gemma.” 

Annette and Christopher greeted the two with great pleasure, making no move to correct Mr. Johnson’s small error. “Now,” Annette spoke, “we have never done this before. Are you guys aware of how we’re meant to get onto the platform?”

Mrs. Johnson nodded and smiled. “Aaron and I actually met at Hogwarts. We’ll show you how to go through to the platform, and you guys can follow. Angelina, would you show Valerie?”

Angelina leaned closer to Valerie with a wicked grin, “Watch this.” The girl took a few steps back with her trolley, and began to run at the wall. Before Valerie could yell at her to stop, Angelina suddenly vanished without a trace. _Where did she go?_

Awestruck, Valerie looked at Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. “Was that supposed to happen?”

The two laughed. Mrs. Johnson replied, “Yes, dear. Don’t worry, we’ve done it a million times. You’ll be fine. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Valerie turned to face the wall. Copying Angelina, she took a few steps back and began to sprint at the bannister. She closed her eyes, expected to crash at any moment, and soon found herself surrounded by a new atmosphere of sound. 

Opening her eyes, she looked and saw that she had made it! The Hogwarts Express lay beside her with loads of other families and their children beginning to part ways. Angelina was off to Valerie’s left side with her trolley. The girls high fived and Angelina led Valerie towards the area where they would drop off their luggage.

“We’re still sitting together, right?” Angelina asked Valerie. 

“Of course!” the girl responded as she began to unpack her trolley. “You’re the only person I know here, and you’ve already been quite enjoyable to have as company.”

Angelina smiled, “Glad to hear it. I feel the same way.” 

They finished unloading everything and made their way back to the platform to find the adults. Valerie spotted her aunt and uncle and ran to them, enveloping them both in a massive embrace. 

Moments passed before she pulled away, finding her guardians with tears in their eyes. Her uncle began first, “You’ll do great, kid. You know that?” 

Valerie nodded and sniffled, already beginning to miss her guardians before they’d parted. 

Annette continued, “We are _so_ proud of you, Valerie. You will do so well, and we will love you no matter what. Just go have some fun.”

“I will,” she replied. “I’ll write home as often as I can, I promise.” Her aunt and uncle both smiled at this and pulled her in for one last hug. 

Moments later, she found herself waving goodbye out the window of the Hogwarts Express with Angelina at her side. The train began to chug, and she soon lost sight of them. _It’s all becoming real._

Sitting back down in the cabin, the girls began to chatter about life at Hogwarts and their lives at home. Before long, two other girls asked to join the cabin, introducing themselves as Alicia Spinnet and Patricia Stimpson. Alicia had dark brown hair, olive skin, and light brown eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore an outfit similar to Valerie’s. Patricia had dirty blonde hair that was curly and stuck out everywhere. Her eyes were a deep brown, and she wore a t-shirt and a skirt with her trainers. 

The ride was long, and the girls seemed to find endless things to talk about. Patricia was a muggle-born and, like Valerie, had little knowledge of the wizarding world. Alicia’s father was a wizard, but she hadn’t grown up knowing too much about magic. Angelina entertained the girls with stories of Hogwarts, magical creatures, and the wizarding game of quidditch while the Hogwarts Express chugged through the British countryside. 

“So, Angelina,” Patricia said, chewing on the leg of a chocolate frog, “what exactly is quidditch?”

“Only the best game in the world!” Angelina responded enthusiastically. “Quidditch is, like, _the_ sport of wizards and witches. You play it on broomsticks and there’s a lot going on at once. First, you’ve got chasers who try to get a ball called the quaffle into the other team’s goals. A keeper tries to defend their team’s hoops. There’s these nasty death balls called bludgers that try to hit you, and the beaters have to hit them so no one on their team gets hit. And also, there’s a seeker who has to catch this tiny golden ball called a snitch. Once they get it, the game’s over. Team with the most points wins!”

The other girls were fascinated with this sport, gladly taking in any information they could from Angelina as she continued to rant and rave about it. Apparently, her father was a keeper for the Ravenclaw team and had taken her to games when she was young. 

At some point during the ride, the girls heard some sort of muffled explosion, followed by laughing and the pounding of feet. Valerie stood up and opened the door to their cabin, looking towards the source of the noise to see what had happened. 

Racing towards her was a pair of redheads, one of them Valerie identified as George, who she had run into at Diagon Alley. He was following another boy who looked nearly identical to him, except she saw that their noses and eyes were quite different. 

“In there, Fred!” George shouted. The boy that George called Fred stopped in front of Valerie and asked, “Do you mind if we hide here for a second?”

Shocked, Valerie responded, “Uhhh...sure.”

Fred quickly skirted past her into the cabin while George came next. “Hey, Valerie!”

“Close the door! Quickly!” Fred shouted at her. She slid the door shut, and the boys moved to sit behind the door just under the window. The girls were, of course, quite confused.

“What are you two doing here?” Alicia nearly shouted. 

Fred smiled, “Sorry that we haven’t made a proper introduction. My name’s Fred Weasley.”

“And I”m George Weasley,” George quickly added. “There is a strong possibility that we made a game of Exploding Snap blow up in our brother Percy’s face.”

Angelina frowned, “But isn’t that the whole point of Exploding Snap?”

“Yeah, well…” Fred replied, “we made a deck that does...extra damage. And frankly, he’s a bit upset about it.”

“What do you mean-”

Before Valerie could finish her question, a boy with similar red hair - or at least what was left of it - began angrily stalking the corridor. Fred and George immediately became silent, holding their breath for fear that Percy might catch them. They were also trying their hardest not to laugh at what they had done which, frankly, she could see why.

Fred whispered, “Keep talking! We don’t want him to know that we’re hiding here.”

The girls eyed each other, unsure of the situation they had just gotten themselves into. They returned to their conversation about the mechanisms behind Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans while they watched Percy reappear and disappear back to where he had come from. After a few minutes, they motioned to the boys that the coast was clear. 

“Lovely meeting you lot,” George quipped, “but we must be going. Don’t want to stay in one place for too long. See you all when we get there!” 

The two parties bid each other adieu, and the twins left. Shutting the door, the girls began to laugh hysterically at the events that had just unfolded. 

“Did you see Percy’s hair?” Angelina chuckled.

Patricia snorted, “What was there to see? Nearly all of it had been burned off his head!”

“Clearly we haven’t seen the last of those two,” Alicia remarked, “I’m sure they’ll be loads of trouble when we get to Hogwarts.” 

The girls agreed. “As long as I’m not the one getting all of my hair burnt off,” Valerie said, “they can do whatever they want. Makes life more interesting for us.”

Conversation began to wind down as the train moved closer and closer to Hogwarts. The girls got dressed in their robes and waited in anticipation to arrive. Soon, they slowed and came to a stop. It was dark outside, and the platform was lit with dozens of candlelit lanterns. 

Shuffling their way through the corridor, they jumped out in front of a massive, shaggy-haired man in a trenchcoat who was holding one of the lanterns. 

“Firs’ years! Come with me! I’ll be leading yeh to the boats!”

“That’s Hagrid,” Angelina whispered to the girls. “He’s the groundskeeper here.”

“Why is he so tall?” Patricia asked, staring at the man in disbelief. 

“I think mum said he was half giant, but I can’t quite remember.” 

Clumped together with the rest of the first years, the girls exchanged excited, yet nervous, glances with each other. They knew that they would be sorted soon, and all of them were afraid to be split up. Of course they could make other friends just as easily if they were apart, but their short time together had unknowingly bonded them together. 

The last students were rounded up, and the group set off for the boats. The girls sat in a boat together, and they stared in amazement at the castle as they floated across the Black Lake. For the first time since they had met, they were silent. Appreciating the castle’s grandeur and beauty, Valerie began to realize that this was it. This is where her life begins. And how would she know how to navigate the challenges that came with it? How would she make friends? How would she do her classes if she knew nothing about magic? What if she turned out to not be magic at all and had been faking it the whole time? 

She started to panic internally. Her anxiety was starting to get the best of her, and her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. _I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it._

Alicia saw Valerie’s descent into herself. Noticing her hands begin to shake and her leg bouncing up and down uncontrollably, she nudged the girl. “Hey, is everything okay?”

Valerie turned to her, eyes teary and wide. She didn’t want her new friend to know that she was currently having a crisis of self, so she just nodded and hummed enthusiastically. In her eyes, however, she could tell Alicia wasn’t buying it. But instead of inquiring further, the girl just pulled Valerie into a hug.

Pulling away, Alicia whispered, “I’m scared too. We’ll be okay, though. I promise you.”

Valerie smiled in thanks to Alicia. While her comment didn’t necessarily make Valerie’s heart beat less or mind race any slower, she felt more at peace knowing she wasn’t the only one who was afraid. Considering the fact that a lot of pureblood kids already knew so much about magic, she had been worried about being left behind. She only just learned that magic was real a few months ago, and now she was going to school for it. Some of her classmates have known that they were going to Hogwarts for their entire lives! 

Many thoughts like these filled her head, but as the boats began to dock on the edge of the lake, they began to fade away. It might all be scary, but she was going to have to face it one way or another. 

Trudging up the fields to the entrance of Hogwarts, the group of first years was quite loud. Valerie couldn’t help but look around at her classmates, noticing a certain pair of redheads not too far from her on her right. Her friends made an effort to engage in conversation, but Valerie mainly remained silent, her emotions consuming her ability to interact with people. 

Finally, they were led through two giant doors into a large room with two more doors across from them. Professor McGonagall stood before them with her hands crossed in front of her. She caught Valerie’s eyes, but quickly glanced away, a hint of a smile on her face. 

“Come on, first years. Gather around.” 

After much shuffling about, the hall became still and everyone watched McGonagall expectantly. She cleared her throat and began, “Good evening, students. Welcome to Hogwarts. Our start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses.”

She went on to explain how our houses would become like the students’ families, what each was, and how the housing and points system worked. After her spiel, she left and told the students to wait until she returned. While waiting, she exchanged nervous glances with Angelina. All of the students were ready to get sorted and start eating, and it felt cruel that they had to wait around to do so. 

Eventually, McGonagall returned, had the students form a line, and opened the doors to the Great Hall. The Great Hall lived up to its name - and more. The whole place was candlelit and was full of students and teachers. Four long tables lined the hall, and one table with the teachers was up at the front of the hall. Looking up, the students could see the night sky, decorated with an array of floating candles and dimly lit stars. They all looked up in awe, some tripping over their own feet while failing to notice the line was still moving forwards. A hat sat on a stool at the front of the room, and the wrinkles of it almost formed a face. 

“Now,” Professor McGonagall began, “when I call your name, you will step up to the front, sit on the stool, and wear the hat. The Sorting Hat will then decide your house, and you will go sit with your fellow classmates. Understood?” All the first years nodded, and she pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment. 

“Allen, Jacob,” she called out. 

Alphabetically, McGonagall called each student to the Sorting Hat one-by-one. The hat moved and talked, much to many’s surprise, and it seemed to know every thought in your head. Each sorting made Valerie more and more anxious, until it was Angelina’s turn.

“Johnson, Angelina.”

Angelina warily walked up to the stool, and McGonagall placed the hat on her head. 

It twitched to life as she wore it. “Hmm...better be...Gryffindor!” The Gryffindor table roared to life, and Angelina skipped to the table with a giant smile on her face. 

“King, Valerie.”

It was time. Stepping up to the stool, she got a better look at the faculty at the table - specifically the man known as Dumbledore. He was an old man with light blue robes decorated with stars. He sported a long beard, half-moon glasses, and he flashed her a small smile of encouragement as she walked forward. As she returned it, she sat on the stool and faced her peers. _Why are there so many people watching me?_

Like it did with Angelina, the Sorting Hat twitched to life. “Ooh, what do we have here? Hmmm, I see. You certainly have a brilliant mind - yes, that’s for sure. Certainly courageous, and you have a definite desire to succeed - that is clear. Yet, where shall I put you?”

Valerie sat up there for over five minutes, but it felt like hours. The hat both verbally and internally debated her housing placement, and each comment made her more and more on edge. Gripping the edge of the stool, she stared at the people in front of her. Certainly, the current students were interested in her, and she could feel hundreds of eyes on her. Alicia and Patricia gave her a thumbs-up from the first year's crowd, and she even saw Fred and George nod at her in acknowledgement. Angelina seemed just as anxious as Valerie, nearly slipping off of her seat through all of the waiting. 

“An enigma, you are! Better be...Slytherin!”

The students at the table on the far right erupted in cheering, and Valerie calmly walked over to her new house. She received a few high-fives and handshakes as she sat down, sitting between two other first years. 

The one on her right was a boy named Henry Godwin, already quite tall for his age with a shock of brown hair on top of his head. On her left sat a girl named Greta Foster. Greta was about Valerie’s height, and she had straight, dark black hair. The three introduced themselves to each other, and they began chatting a bit, each trying to predict the next student’s house arrangement. 

Alicia was in Gryffindor, joining Angelina at the table across the hall. Valerie felt a bit jealous, but knew that the girls had promised to keep in touch no matter what. Patricia was next, and she was sorted into Hufflepuff. The girl skipped to the table next to the Slytherins and sat in the seat across the way from Valerie. Each waved at each other and offered their congratulations. 

The last two to be sorted were the Weasley twins. “I bet they both get Gryffindor,” said Henry. 

Valerie looked confused, “Why do you say that?”

“Practically their whole family is in Gryffindor. They’ve got three older brothers who’ve all been sorted there, and I’m pretty sure their parents were, too.” 

Sure enough, Henry was right. One after the other, the twins were sorted into Gryffindor. Each sported a ginormous grin as they ran off to the Gryffindor table, clearly elated at their sorting. _Of course I would be sorted away from all of the people I know._ Valerie was very good at making new friends, but she had already felt such a connection with the people she had met. 

While upset at this, she had to admit that she was already having a great time with the Slytherins. She knew there was a bias against the Slytherins, but they were all very welcoming and kind - even a decent amount of the older students. During the feast, a few second and third years made sure to point out the different foods on the table and told the first years some fun facts about the Slytherin house. Valerie also was getting used to being around Henry and Greta. While Henry could be very sarcastic, he was very funny, and he had the two girls clutching their stomachs not even 15 minutes into the dinner. 

The rest of the evening went in a blur. After dinner, they went through the castle to the Slytherin common room (which was spacious and surprisingly luxurious) and were shown their dorm rooms. After talking all night with Greta and the other girls in her year - Cassandra, Elizabeth, and Jane - Valerie found herself staring up at the ceiling. All the other girls were sleeping in their beds, but she couldn’t seem to get her mind to quiet for the evening. 

While she had been upset that her friends were mostly all in Gryffindor, Valerie couldn’t help but smile. _Didn’t mum say she was almost put in Slytherin? That must be good, right? I mean, everyone said she was brilliant and amazing and all, so, surely, I must be fine._

Who was Valerie talking to? Even she didn’t know, but this small reminder made her feel comforted. Her mum was almost in Slytherin, so Valerie knew something had gone right. She was bound to make the most of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this update took so long! It's a very long chapter, and it's been hard to find inspiration to write it. I'll try to post more regularly from now on (at least until I start uni again in a few weeks)! Also, let me know how you like it so far! I'd appreciate any feedback <3


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